No. The workshop is built for people who are starting from the beginning. Session 1 covers what a mushroom is, the parts that matter for identification, and the field guides worth using, so you'll have the working vocabulary you need before we go into the woods on Sunday.

It's built for beginners and works well for people who have done some foraging on their own and want to put their identifications on a firmer footing. The species we cover are common spring mushrooms in Alberta, and the structural checks we use apply whether this is your first walk or your tenth.

Both Zoom sessions are recorded, and you'll get the recording within a day. The field day on Sunday is the one session you'll want to attend live, since the foraging and the cook & taste happen in person and aren't recorded.

The location is in the Edmonton area and is chosen the week of the workshop based on where the morels are actually fruiting. We email the meeting location and directions to registered participants 24 hours before the field day.

A basket or paper bag for finds (no plastic, which makes mushrooms sweat), a small knife or pair of scissors, sturdy footwear, weather-appropriate layers, water, and a snack. If you have a field guide you like, bring it. If you don't, that's fine, we'll cover the ones worth owning during Session 1.

The workshop is capped at a small group so everyone has time to look closely at finds and ask questions in the field.

Spring fruiting depends on temperature, moisture, and the previous year's conditions, and even a well-timed workshop can land on a slow week. If the morels are sparse, we adjust. We walk habitats where the other spring species are out (oysters on cottonwood, Agaricus on grassy edges, Leccinum under aspen), and we work through whatever the woods are giving us that day. The identification habits and habitat reading transfer to whatever season you forage in next.

Most years we do. Morels are the species we plan the field day around, and the location is chosen based on where they're fruiting that week. That said, no honest forager will promise mushrooms before going out. The workshop is built so you leave with the skills regardless of how the basket fills.

Yes. The walks are a single afternoon. They're a slower introduction to mushroom foraging in general, with whatever species are out that week. The workshop is three sessions built around morels and the spring window specifically: two evenings of identification work, then a field day with a cook & taste at the end. If you've done a walk and want to go further on a specific season, the workshop is the next step.

The two Zoom sessions are open to anyone, and the content on morel identification, false morels, and habitat reading applies anywhere these species grow in Canada and the northern US. The field day is in the Edmonton area, so the in-person component is most practical for people within driving distance.

Yes. Every mushroom that goes into the kitchen is identified by Martin before it's cooked, and anything in question is set aside. Morels are always cooked thoroughly before eating, which is the standard for any wild mushroom going to the table.

Let us know in advance and we'll work around it. We can accommodate most common dietary needs with notice. If you'd rather not eat what we cook for any reason, you're welcome to bring your own meal and join the table for the conversation.